Darwin in the grip of massive power blackout

A massive blackout has, in effect, shut down Darwin, leaving the entire city without power.

Schools, public offices and public transport services are all shut as the Northern Territory capital remains without electricity following an outage just before 1.30am.

The Northern Territory government has said that all schools will be closed and has encouraged public servants who do not work at the hospital or in "critical roles" to stay at home until power is restored.

"The NT Public service has mobilised its emergency management protocols to ensure the community's safety," a government statement read.

The Power and Water Corporation has blamed the blackout on a circuit breaker at a substation. The company has said technicians are working to resolve the problem and restore power but that as of about 9am (AEST) electricity was unlikely to be back on for several hours.

The company advised all customers to ring their employers before heading for work.

Faulty gas cooking equipment has been blamed for three structure fires that the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service had to attend during the blackout.

At 11.30am the temperature in Darwin was 29.2 degrees with a maximum of 33 degrees predicted.

The Northern Territory Government has advised that power is being progressively restored and the areas of Bakewell, Moulden, and Casuarina Square had electricity as of 11.30am, as well as parts of Millner, Anula, Malak, Karama, Lyons, Nakara and East Arm.

Royal Darwin Hospital and the airport are both operating as normal with generators providing power.

The hospital has contacted patients who require life support and oxygen.

Drivers have been asked to exercise extreme caution on the roads as traffic lights are not working. Police are manning major intersections.

Update #2 – Darwin Power Outages Residents across the greater Darwin region are encouraged to stay calm and stay at home